BRICS leaders gather in India, but does the group have a clear purpose?
The 18th BRICS summit takes place in India this weekend. Unlike last year, the leaders of China and Russia are coming. But does the expanded group have a clear common mission and purpose?
India hosted the 18th BRICS summit this weekend, introducing a slogan that aims to represent the group's new members and maintain its brand integrity. The slogan "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" aligns with the original acronym for the original five members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) while accommodating the new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates).
MIT director Mihaela Papa stated that the slogan symbolizes a shared mission rather than individual country names. However, Sushant Singh, a lecturer at Yale University, suggests that India may not be as invested in the bloc due to its growing ties with the United States. Despite this, India's geopolitical influence has added significance to the summit, as China's top leadership is expected to attend, as well as Iran and the UAE.
While the BRICS summit has struggled for clarity in recent years, the group has set ambitious goals, such as reforming global governance, improving trade, and addressing food security. However, experts remain skeptical about the group's ability to achieve significant results due to internal contradictions and differing national interests.
Written by urgent.news from DW Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
